Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2104 of 17 September 2026 amending Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the entries for the United States in the lists of third countries, territories, or zones thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds

Official Journal EN of the European Union L series 2026/2104 18.9.2026 COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION(EU) 2026/2104 of 17 September 2026 amending Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the entries for the United States in the lists of third countries, territories, or zones thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’)(1), and in particular Article 230(1) and Article 232(1), point (b) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EU) 2016/429 provides that consignments of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin from third countries or territories are only to be allowed to enter into the Union if the third countries or territories concerned are listed in accordance with Article 230(1) of that Regulation.

(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692(2)lays down the animal health requirements that consignments of certain species and categories of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin, from third countries, territories, or zones thereof, or compartments thereof in the case of aquaculture animals, must comply with in order to enter the Union.

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404(3)lays down the lists of third countries, territories, or zones thereof, from which the entry into the Union of the species and categories of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin, falling within the scope of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692, is permitted. Those lists and certain general rules concerning those lists are set out in Annexes I to XXII to that Implementing Regulation.

(4) More particularly, Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 set out the lists of third countries, territories, or zones thereof, authorised for the entry into the Union, respectively, of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds.

(5) On 3 September 2026, the United States notified the Commission of two new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry in the states of South Dakota and Minnesota, which were confirmed on 27 August 2026 and 1 September 2026, respectively, by laboratory analysis (RT-PCR).

(6) Following those recent outbreaks of HPAI, the veterinary authority of the United States notified the establishment of restricted zones of at least 10 km around the affected establishments and the implementation of a stamping-out policy to control the presence of HPAI and limit the spread of that disease.

(1) OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj.

(2) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692 of 30 January 2020 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards rules for entry into the Union, and the movement and handling after entry of consignments of certain animals, germinal products and products of animal origin (OJ L 174, 3.6.2020, p. 379, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/ reg_del/2020/692/oj).

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 of 24 March 2021 laying down the lists of third countries, territories or zones thereof from which the entry into the Union of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin is permitted in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 114, 31.3.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/ eli/reg_impl/2021/404/oj).

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/2104/oj 1/3EN OJ L, 18.9.2026

(7) The United States has submitted further information to the Commission on the epidemiological situation on its territory and the measures that were taken to prevent the further spread of HPAI following those recent HPAI outbreaks.

(8) The information provided by the United States has been evaluated by the Commission. In view of the animal health situation in the areas under restrictions established by the veterinary authority of the United States, it is appropriate to suspend the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry and germinal products of poultry, and of fresh meat of poultry and game birds from the area concerned by the new outbreaks in that third country in order to protect the animal health status of the Union, taking into account the dates when the outbreaks were confirmed. Therefore, the entries for the United States in the tables set out in Section B of Part 1 and in Part 2 of Annex V, and the table set out in Section B of Part 1 of Annex XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 should be amended accordingly.

(9) Taking into account the new HPAI outbreaks in the United States, the amendments to be made to Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 by this Regulation should take effect as a matter of urgency.

(10) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1 Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 are amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2 This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 17 September 2026.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN 2/3 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/2104/ojEN OJ L, 18.9.2026 ANNEX Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 are amended as follows:

(1) Annex V is amended as follows:

(a) in Part 1, Section B, in the entry for the United States, the following rows for the zones US-2.1405 and US-2.1406 are added after the row for the zone US-2.1404: ‘US US-2.1405 BPP, BPR, DOC, DOR, SP, N, P1 27.8.2026 United SR, POU-LT20, HEP, HER, States US-2.1406 HE-LT20 N, P1 1.9.2026’

(b) In Part 2, in the entry for the United States, the following descriptions of the zones US-2.1405 and US-2.1406 are added after the description of the zone US-2.1404:

State of South Dakota Hamlin 07 US-2.1405

Hamlin County: A circular zone of a 10 km radius starting with North point (GPS coordinates: 96.8990929°W 44.7313639°N) ‘United States State of Minnesota Wright 02 US-2.1406

Wright County: A circular zone of a 10 km radius starting with North point (GPS coordinates: 94.1031799°W 45.1582118°N)’

(2) in Annex XIV, in Part 1, Section B, in the entry for the United States, the following rows for the zones US-2.1405 and US-2.1406 are added after the row for the zone US-2.1404:

POU, RAT N, P1 27.8.2026 US-2.1405 GBM P1 27.8.2026 ‘US United States POU, RAT N, P1 1.9.2026 US-2.1406 GBM P1 1.9.2026’

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2026/2104/oj 3/3